Manchester City midfielder Yaya Touré (L). (Photo : Getty Images)
Manchester City's veteran midfielder Yaya Touré recently expressed his "disgust" about how unfairly the local media in Manchester allegedly had treated him all these years. However, team manager Manuel Pellegrini quickly claimed that the 32-year-old is "happy" with the team but not with the criticisms.
Mirror reported that the Ivory Coast international said he is "disgusted" and "sickened" by what he feels like a "lack of respect" from the journalists and reporters in England.
Touré complained that despite all the accolades he helped his team achieve since his £24-million arrival from Barcelona in 2010, including two Premier League titles and one Capital Cup win, he was not recognized enough.
"I scored 24 goals, 20 in the Premier League (in 2013-2014), and nobody mentioned it. No recognition, no trophy, nothing. You understand a bit by disgust," the Ivorian said. "Here (in England), when it is bad, they stress it, when it's good, they leave that in the dungeon. We should speak just as much about the positives as the negatives, no?"
Meanwhile, City coach Pellegrini had cleared rumors of Touré's alleged impending transfer this January despite his player's comments.
The 62-year-old bench tactician asserted that his prized midfielder will stay at the Etihad for the long term and he is one of his best players on the pitch.
"Yaya is happy," the former Real Madrid boss said, as reported by The Guardian. "He may have a few concerns about the criticism but that is different to being unhappy at the club."
"The answer (to the question of whether he will stay) is his performances over the last four years he plays. He is a very important player and he demonstrates it every game," Pellegrini added.
